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Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 20: Goalkeepers and Defenders

In which we indulge in a spot of bargain-hunting.

Bacary Sagna, one of our Fantasy Football tips for Gameweek 20
Sagna… Yours for just £5.4m (Image: Ronnie Macdonald)

Come and have a right good gander at our Fantasy Football tips Gameweek 20 goalkeepers and defenders round-up!

We can’t know for certain what will go down in this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, so there is a chance – just a teeny, weeny one – that our Fantasy Football tips might not work out for you.

Rest assured, though, that our educated guesses are at least as educated as they are guessed.

Our Fantasy Football tips are based on the official Premier League version of the game, but the principles should apply more or less across the board.

Probably. You know, we reckon.

IMPROVE THE REST OF YOUR SIDE Try our midfielder and striker recommendations for Gameweek 20

Now, let’s do the Fantasy tippy thing…

Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 20: Goalkeepers and Defenders

Arsenal have been prolific clean-sheet keepers this season, so it hardly taxes the imagination to think that they’ll manage another at home to crisis-ridden Cardiff City on new year’s day.

Per Mertesacker is in particularly strong form having earned three bonus points in two of the last three games, but his admirable overall points haul is reflected in a price of £6.3m.

More affordable are Kieran Gibbs, Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny at £5.4m, £5.4m and £5.3m respectively – with signs of improved attacking play from Sagna, we’d be inclined to go with him.

Wojciech Szczęsny is a solid choice of goalkeeper but will set you back £5.8m, so it might be a good idea to go with one of Arsenal’s cheaper defenders and find a low-cost goalkeeper who you’d back to get a few clean sheets here and there.

We’re looking at you, Newcastle United’s Tim Krul (£5.3m) and Sunderland’s Vito Mannone (just £4.4m).

That’s right, we’re backing Sunderland to battle their way out of trouble under Gus Poyet, starting 2014 with a nice, juicy clean sheet at home to misfiring Aston Villa.

Occasional screamer-scorer Phil Bardsley can also be had for £4.4m, and this writer has availed of his services so fingers crossed on that one.

Crystal Palace are another struggling side that we fancy to emerge un-scored-against from a home game against fellow strugglers, in the Eagles’ case the Canaries of Norwich City.

Goalkeeper Julian Speroni is comfortably Palace’s most expensive defensive player at £4.5m, so bargains to be had there.

NOW: Midfielder and striker recommendations for Gameweek 20